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The m-method is a commonly used method to calculate the internal force and deformation of pile foundations under lateral loads. However, for squeezed branch piles, the increase in the load-bearing plate leads to changes in the pile section and the generation of a resistance bending moment under loading, which means the load–displacement relationship at the load-bearing plate will no longer satisfy the linear relationship. In this paper, a hyperbolic load transfer model is established to describe the nonlinear relationship between the soil resistance and lateral displacement at the branch of the pile, and the m-method is used for the straight section of the pile. Laboratory model tests are used to verify the correlation between theory and experimentation. The results show that the theory is consistent with the measured curve. On the basis of the theoretical calculation, the influence of the bearing plate and pile body parameters on the force of the squeezed branch pile is analyzed. The research shows that that the bearing capacity of the squeezed branch pile is improved by increasing the plate’s diameter, placing the plate closer to the ground, and ensuring that the pile top is embedded. The theoretical calculation method established in this paper can correctly and accurately reflect the bearing capacity characteristics of squeezed branch piles under horizontal loads, and it is more safe than performing measurements. Additionally, it can be applied to squeezed branch piles with different plate diameters, plate positions, plate section forms, and plate quantities as well as for piles with different boundary conditions and soil conditions. Moreover, it can also be applied to other pile shapes. This method is of significance for the analysis of the bearing characteristics of piles with variable sections under lateral loads.

(1) To examine the potential mechanism of the Asarum–Angelica drug pair against periodontitis and provide an experimental basis for the treatment of periodontitis with herbal medicine. (2) The core components and core targets of the Asarum–Angelica drug pair in the treatment of periodontitis were detected according to network pharmacology methods. Finally, the effect of the Asarum–Angelica drug pair on osteogenic differentiation was observed in mouse embryonic osteoblast precursor cells. (3) According to the results of network pharmacology, there are 10 potential active ingredients in the Asarum–Angelica drug pair, and 44 potential targets were obtained by mapping the targets with periodontitis treatment. Ten potential active ingredients, such as kaempferol and β-sitosterol, may play a role in treating periodontitis. Cell experiments showed that the Asarum–Angelica drug pair can effectively promote the expression of osteoblast markers alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Runt-related Transcription Factor 2 (RUNX2), and BCL2 mRNA and protein in an inflammatory environment (p < 0.05). (4) Network pharmacology effectively analyzed the molecular mechanism of Asarum–Angelica in the treatment of periodontitis, and the Asarum–Angelica drug pair can promote the differentiation of osteoblasts.

Cucumber is an economically important vegetable crop, and the warts (composed of spines and Tubercules) of cucumber fruit are an important quality trait that influences its commercial value. WOX transcription factors are known to have pivotal roles in regulating various aspects of plant growth and development, but their studies in cucumber are limited. Here, genome-wide identification of cucumber WOX genes was performed using the pan-genome analysis of 12 cucumber varieties. Our findings revealed diverse CsWOX genes in different cucumber varieties, with variations observed in protein sequences and lengths, gene structure, and conserved protein domains, possibly resulting from the divergent evolution of CsWOX genes as they adapt to diverse cultivation and environmental conditions. Expression profiles of the CsWOX genes demonstrated that CsWOX9 was significantly expressed in unexpanded ovaries, especially in the epidermis. Additionally, analysis of the CsWOX9 promoter revealed two binding sites for the C2H2 zinc finger protein. We successfully executed a yeast one-hybrid assay (Y1H) and a dual-luciferase (LUC) transaction assay to demonstrate that CsWOX9 can be transcriptionally activated by the C2H2 zinc finger protein Tu, which is crucial for fruit Tubercule formation in cucumber. Overall, our results indicated that CsWOX9 is a key component of the molecular network that regulates wart formation in cucumber fruits, and provide further insight into the function of CsWOX genes in cucumber.

Cucumbers are frequently affected by gray mold pathogen Botrytis cinerea, a pathogen that causes inhibited growth and reduced yield. Jasmonic acid (JA) plays a primary role in plant responses to biotic stresses, and the jasmonate-ZIM-Domain (JAZ) proteins are key regulators of the JA signaling pathway. In this study, we used the pan-genome of twelve cucumber varieties to identify cucumber TIFY genes. Our findings revealed that two CsTIFY genes were present in all twelve cucumber varieties and showed no differences in protein sequence, gene structure, and motif composition. This suggests their evolutionary conservation across different cucumber varieties and implies that they may play a crucial role in cucumber growth. On the other hand, the other fourteen CsTIFY genes exhibited variations in protein sequence and gene structure or conserved motifs, which could be the result of divergent evolution, as these genes adapt to different cultivation and environmental conditions. Analysis of the expression profiles of the CsTIFY genes showed differential regulation by B. cinerea. Transient transfection plants overexpressing CsJAZ2, CsJAZ6, or CsZML2 were found to be more susceptible to B. cinerea infection compared to control plants. Furthermore, these plants infected by the pathogen showed lower levels of the enzymatic activities of POD, SOD and CAT. Importantly, after B. cinerea infection, the content of JA was upregulated in the plants, and cucumber cotyledons pretreated with exogenous MeJA displayed increased resistance to B. cinerea infection compared to those pretreated with water. Therefore, this study explored key TIFY genes in the regulation of cucumber growth and adaptability to different cultivation environments based on bioinformatics analysis and demonstrated that CsJAZs negatively regulate cucumber disease resistance to gray mold via multiple signaling pathways.

Mammary fat plays a profound role in the postnatal development of mammary glands. However, the specific types (white, brown, or beige) of adipocytes in mammary fat and their potential regulatory effects on modulating mammary gland development remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of the browning of mammary fat on pubertal mammary gland development and explore the underlying mechanisms. Thus, the mammary gland development and the serum lipid profile were evaluated in mice treated with CL316243, a β3-adrenoceptor agonist, to induce mammary fat browning. In addition, the proliferation of HC11 cells co-cultured with brown adipocytes or treated with the altered serum lipid metabolite was determined. Our results showed that the browning of mammary fat by injection of CL316243 suppressed the pubertal development of mice mammary glands, accompanied by the significant elevation of serum dioleoylphosphocholine (DOPC). In addition, the proliferation of HC11 was repressed when co-cultured with brown adipocytes or treated with DOPC. Furthermore, DOPC suppressed the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, while the DOPC-inhibited HC11 proliferation was reversed by SC79, an Akt activator, suggesting the involvement of the PI3K/Akt pathway in the DOPC-inhibited proliferation of HC11. Together, the browning of mammary fat suppressed the development of the pubertal mammary gland, which was associated with the elevated serum DOPC and the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway.

The atmospheric oxidation of dimethyl sulfide affects the Earth’s climate, but the intricate pathways of this complex reaction are still not fully described. Here, the authors use an optimized flash pyrolysis method for gas-phase generation of the methylthio radical to study its O2-oxidation via matrix-isolation spectroscopy, and unambiguously identify two peroxyl radical intermediates.

Chronic apical periodontitis (CAP) is a disease with characteristics of inflammation and bone loss. In this study, our objective was to examine the function of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) obtained from milk in encouraging osteogenic differentiation and inhibiting inflammation by miR-21 in CAP. The expression of miR-21 was detected using qRT-PCR in human CAP samples. The impact of miR-21 on the process of osteogenic differentiation was investigated using CCK-8, qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence staining, and Western blot analysis. The evaluation of RAW 264.7 cell polarization and the assessment of inflammatory factor expression were conducted through qRT-PCR. The influence of sEVs on MC3T3-E1 cells and RAW 264.7 cells was examined, with a particular emphasis on the involvement of miR-21. In human CAP samples, a decrease in miR-21 expression was observed. MiR-21 increased the expression of osteogenesis-related genes and M2 polarization genes while decreasing the expression of M1 polarization genes and inflammatory cytokines. Treatment with milk-derived sEVs also promoted osteogenesis and M2 polarization while inhibiting M1 polarization and inflammation. Conversely, the addition of miR-21 inhibitors resulted in opposite effects. Our results indicated that sEVs derived from milk had a positive effect on bone formation and activation of anti-inflammatory (M2) macrophages and simultaneously reduced inflammation by regulating miR-21 in CAP.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation and purification is a promising solar energy conversion technology to produce clean water or solve water scarcity. Although wood-based photothermal materials have attracted particular interest in solar water purification and desalination due to their rapid water supply and great heat localization, challenges exist given their complicated processing methods and relatively poor stability. Herein, we propose a facile approach for fabricating a bilayered wood-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (wood-PEDOT:PSS) hydrogel interfacial evaporator by direct drop-casting and dry-annealing. Benefiting from the unique combined merits of the wood-PEDOT:PSS hydrogel evaporator, i.e., excellent light absorption (~99.9%) and efficient photothermal conversion of nanofibrous PEDOT:PSS and the strong hydrophilicity and fast water transport from wood, the as-fabricated bilayered wood-PEDOT:PSS hydrogel evaporator demonstrates a remarkably high evaporation rate (~1.47 kg m−2 h−1) and high energy efficiency (~75.76%) at 1 kW m−2. We further demonstrate the practical applications of such an evaporator for sewage purification and desalination, showing outstanding performance stability and partial salt barrier capability against a continuous 10-day test in simulated seawater and an ultrahigh ion removal rate of 99.9% for metal ion-containing sewage. The design and fabrication of such novel, efficient wood-based interfacial evaporators pave the way for large-scale applications in solar water purification.

Ultrasound and deep eutectic supramolecular polymers (DESP) is a novel combination of green extraction method for phytochemicals. In this study, a new type of green extractant was developed: DESP. It is a derivative of deep eutectic solvent (DES) and was prepared by supramolecular polymer unit β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and organic acid as hydrogen bond donor (HBD). The current work focuses on the use of ultrasonic-assisted (UAE) DESP extraction of polyphenolic compounds (PCs) from bayberry. The experimental results showed that DESP synthesized with β-CD and lactic acid (LA) in a ratio of 1:1 (w/w %) had the best extraction effect. And by using a three-level factor experiment and the response surface method, the predicted TPC content is very close to the actual content (28.85 ± 1.27 mg GAE/g). The DESP extract including PCs were further used as plasticizer for chitosan (CS) to prepare highly active green biofilms (DESP-CS). It is possible to reduce the tedious procedures for separating biologically active substances from DESP. The experiment proved that the prepared films have good mechanical properties, plastic deformation resistance, thermal stability and antioxidant activity.

Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) represents a promising technology for the sustainable production of hydrogen, which is capable of efficiently coupling to intermittent electricity from renewable energy sources (e.g., solar and wind). The technology with compact stack structure has many notable advantages, including large current density, high hydrogen purity, and great conversion efficiency. However, the use of expensive electrocatalysts and construction materials leads to high hydrogen production costs and limited application. In this review, recent advances made in key materials of PEMWE are summarized. First, we present a brief overview about the basic principles, thermodynamics, and reaction kinetics of PEMWE. We then describe the cell components of PEMWE and their respective functions, as well as discuss the research status of key materials such as membrane, electrocatalysts, membrane electrode assemblies, gas diffusion layer, and bipolar plate. We also attempt to clarify the degradation mechanisms of PEMWE under a real operating environment, including catalyst degradation, membrane degradation, bipolar plate degradation, and gas diffusion layer degradation. We finally propose several future directions for developing PEMWE through devoting more efforts to the key materials.

3D-graphene foam electrodes (Gii-Sens) immersed in a phosphate buffer solution of pH 7 are shown to generate hydrogen peroxide at a significantly faster rate in the presence of a nanoparticulate polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1). The effect is demonstrated to be associated at least in part with oxygen binding into PIM-1 under triphasic conditions. The release of the oxygen at the electrode|solution interface quadruples H2O2 production. Generator–collector experiments are performed with a graphene foam disk generator and a platinum disk electrode collector to allow in situ detection of hydrogen peroxide and oxygen.

Renal fibrosis is relentlessly progressive and irreversible, and a life-threatening risk. With the continuous intake of a high-purine diet, hyperuricemia has become a health risk factor in addition to hyperglycemia, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Hyperuricemia is also an independent risk factor for renal interstitial fibrosis. Numerous studies have reported that increased mast cells (MCs) are closely associated with kidney injury induced by different triggering factors. This study investigated the effect of MCs on renal injury in rats caused by hyperuricemia and the relationship between MCs and renal fibrosis. Our results reveal that hyperuricemia contributes to renal injury, with a significant increase in renal MCs, leading to renal fibrosis, mitochondrial structural disorders, and oxidative stress damage. The administration of the MCs membrane stabilizer, sodium cromoglycate (SCG), decreased the expression of SCF/c-kit, reduced the expression of α-SMA, MMP2, and inhibited the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway, thereby alleviating renal fibrosis. Additionally, SCG reduced renal oxidative stress and mitigated mitochondrial structural damage by inhibiting Ang II production and increasing renal GSH, GSH-Px, and GR levels. Collectively, the recruitment of MCs, activation of the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway, and Ang II production drive renal oxidative stress, ultimately promoting the progression of renal fibrosis in hyperuricemic rats.

The improved phase congruency (PC) algorithms have been successfully applied to optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image registration since they are insensitive to nonlinear radiometric and geometric differences. However, most of the algorithms are sensitive to large-scale differences and rotation differences between optical and SAR images. To tackle this, we propose a PC framework to register optical and SAR images. It is compatible with large-scale and rotation invariance. Firstly, a multi-scale Harris keypoint extraction method based on the maximum moment of PC (named PC-Harris) is proposed. The scale space is constructed by combining PC with the log-Gabor filter. Secondly, we propose a PC model to construct the feature descriptors. The orientation and amplitude responses are obtained based on the PC model. Meanwhile, the novel descriptor is constructed based on the polar coordinate system and thus can handle the scale and rotation differences between optical and SAR images. Finally, outliers are removed by the fast sample consensus (FSC). The experiments conducted on several optical and SAR images verify the effectiveness of the proposed framework.

Skeletal muscle-fat interaction is essential for maintaining organismal energy homeostasis and managing obesity by secreting cytokines and exosomes, but the role of the latter as a new mediator in inter-tissue communication remains unclear. Recently, we discovered that miR-146a-5p was mainly enriched in skeletal muscle-derived exosomes (SKM-Exos), 50-fold higher than in fat exosomes. Here, we investigated the role of skeletal muscle-derived exosomes regulating lipid metabolism in adipose tissue by delivering miR-146a-5p. The results showed that skeletal muscle cell-derived exosomes significantly inhibited the differentiation of preadipocytes and their adipogenesis. When the skeletal muscle-derived exosomes co-treated adipocytes with miR-146a-5p inhibitor, this inhibition was reversed. Additionally, skeletal muscle-specific knockout miR-146a-5p (mKO) mice significantly increased body weight gain and decreased oxidative metabolism. On the other hand, the internalization of this miRNA into the mKO mice by injecting skeletal muscle-derived exosomes from the Flox mice (Flox-Exos) resulted in significant phenotypic reversion, including down-regulation of genes and proteins involved in adipogenesis. Mechanistically, miR-146a-5p has also been demonstrated to function as a negative regulator of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) signaling by directly targeting growth and differentiation factor 5 (GDF5) gene to mediate adipogenesis and fatty acid absorption. Taken together, these data provide new insights into the role of miR-146a-5p as a novel myokine involved in the regulation of adipogenesis and obesity via mediating the skeletal muscle-fat signaling axis, which may serve as a target for the development of therapies against metabolic diseases, such as obesity.

Mesoporous nano Ni-Al2O3 catalysts were prepared by using Pluronic P123 (P123) and fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO-7) as structure directing agents (SDAs), and applied for CO2 methanation in a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Compared with NiAl-A prepared by using AEO-7 as SDA and NiAl-N without SDA, NiAl-P prepared by using P123 as SDA possesses ordered mesopores, high Ni dispersion, large metal surface area and amounts of adsorbed CO2, which benefits CO2 conversion. Under the conditions of 1.0 MPa, 300 °C and H2/CO2 ratio of 4, NiAl-P shows the highest CO2 conversion of 74.0% and CH4 yield of 73.6%.

The GABAB receptor is a typical G protein–coupled receptor, and its functional impairment is related to a variety of diseases. While the premise of GABAB receptor activation is the formation of heterodimers, the receptor also forms a tetramer on the cell membrane. Thus, it is important to study the effect of the GABAB receptor aggregation state on its activation and signaling. In this study, we have applied single-molecule photobleaching step counting and single-molecule tracking methods to investigate the formation and change of GABAB dimers and tetramers. A single-molecule stoichiometry assay of the wild-type and mutant receptors revealed the key sites on the interface of ligand-binding domains of the receptor for its dimerization. Moreover, we found that the receptor showed different aggregation behaviors at different conditions. Our results offered new evidence for a better understanding of the molecular basis for GABAB receptor aggregation and activation.

Fruit shape, an important agronomic trait of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), is tightly controlled by a series of genes such as CsSUN, a homologue of SlSUN that is responsible for the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit shape via the modulation of cell division. However, the direct genetic evidence about the CsSUN-mediated regulation of fruit shape is still scarce, limiting our mechanistic understanding of the biological functions of CsSUN. Here, we introduced CsSUN into the round-fruited tomato inbred line ‘SN1′ (wild type, WT) via the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated method. The high and constitutive expression of CsSUN was revealed by real-time PCR in all the tested tissues of the transgenic plants, especially in the fruits and ovaries. Phenotypic analyses showed that the ectopic expression of CsSUN increased fruit length while it decreased fruit diameter, thus leading to the enhanced fruit shape index in the transgenic tomato lines relative to the WT. Additionally, the reduction in the seed size and seed-setting rate and the stimulation of seed germination were observed in the CsSUN-expressed tomato. A histological survey demonstrated that the elongated fruits were mainly derived from the significant increasing of the longitudinal cell number, which compensated for the negative effects of decreased cell area in the central columellae. These observations are different from action mode of SlSUN, thus shedding new insights into the SUN-mediated regulation of fruit shape.

The authors studied the direct conversion of syngas to light paraffins in a dual-bed fixed-bed reactor. A dual-bed catalyst composed of three catalysts, a physically mixed methanol synthesis catalyst (CZA), and a methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether (DME) catalyst (Al2O3(C)) were put in the upper bed for direct conversion of syngas to DME, while the SAPO-34 (SP34-C) zeolite was put in the lower bed for methanol and DME conversion. The effects of the mass ratio of CZA to Al2O3(C), the H2/CO molar ratio, and the space velocity on catalytic performance of syngas to DME were studied in the upper bed. Moreover, a feed gas with a CO/CO2/DME/N2/H2 molar ratio of 9/6/4/5 balanced with H2 was simulated and studied in the lower bed over SP34-C; after optimizing the reaction conditions, the selectivity of light paraffins reached 90.8%, and the selectivity of propane was as high as 76.7%. For the direct conversion of syngas to light paraffins in a dual bed, 88.9% light paraffins selectivity in hydrocarbons was obtained at a CO conversion of 33.4%. This dual-bed strategy offers a potential route for the direct conversion of syngas to valuable chemicals.

It has been demonstrated that vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGFB) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1) play a vital role in regulating vascular biological function. However, the role of VEGFB and VEGFR1 in regulating fat deposition and skeletal muscle growth remains unclear. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of VEGFB and VEGFR1 on fat deposition and skeletal muscle growth in mice. Our results showed that knockdown of VEGFB decreased body weight and iWAT index, stimulated the browning of mice iWAT with increased expression of UCP1, decreased the diameters of adipocytes, and elevated energy expenditure. In contrast, knockdown of VEGFB increased gastrocnemius (GAS) muscle index with increased proliferation of GAS muscle by expression of PCNA and Cyclin D1. Meanwhile, knockdown of endothelial VEGFR1 induced the browning of iWAT with increased expression of UCP1 and decreased diameters of adipocytes. By contrast, knockdown of endothelial VEGFR1 inhibited GAS muscle differentiation with decreased expression of MyoD. In conclusion, these results suggested that the loss of VEGFB/VEGFR1 signaling is associated with enhanced browning of inguinal white adipose tissue and skeletal muscle development. These results provided new insights into the regulation of skeletal muscle growth and regeneration, as well as fat deposition, suggesting the potential application of VEGFB/VEGFR1 as an intervention for the restriction of muscle diseases and obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is an economically important vegetable crop with the unique growth habit and typical trailing shoot architecture of Cucurbitaceae. Elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of growth and development is significant for improving quality and productivity in cucumber. Here we isolated a spontaneous cucumber mutant organ development defective 1 (odd1) with multiple morphological changes including root, plant stature, stem, leaf, male and female flowers, as well as fruit. Anatomical and cytological analyses demonstrated that both cell size and number decreased, and the shoot apical meristem (SAM) was smaller in odd1 compared with WT. Pollen vigor and germination assays and cross tests revealed that odd1 is female sterile, which may be caused by the absence of ovules. Genetic analysis showed that odd1 is a recessive single gene mutant. Using the MutMap strategy, the odd1 gene was found to be located on chromosome 5. Integrated profiling of transcriptome and proteome indicated that the different expression genes related to hormones and SAM maintenance might be the reason for the phenotypic changes of odd1. These results expanded the insight into the molecular regulation of organ growth and development and provided a comprehensive reference map for further studies in cucumber.

Monolithic perovskite/Silicon tandem solar cells have reached a certified efficiency of 29. 1% in recent years. In this review, we discuss material design for monolithic perovskite/Si tandem solar cells, with the focus on the top-cell development to improve their performance. Firstly, we introduce different types of transparent electrodes with high transmittance and low sheet-resistance used in tandem solar cells. We then discuss the development of the wide-bandgap perovskite absorber for top-cells, especially the strategies to obtain the perovskite layers with good efficiency and stability. In addition, as a special functional layer in tandem solar cells, the recombination layers play an important role in device performance, wherein different configurations are summarized. Furthermore, tandem device cost analysis is discussed. This review summarizes the progress of monolithic perovskite/Silicon tandem solar cells in a pragmatic perspective, which may promote the commercialization of this technology.

Polymers of intrinsic microporosity (or PIMs) have emerged as practical film or membrane materials for a range of electrochemical technologies. Fundamentally, PIMs are based on highly rigid polymer backbone structures, which are inefficient for packing into solid films or structures. Poor packing in the solid is linked directly to (i) good solubility and processability, (ii) to glassy structures with persistent microporosity, (iii) to interesting permeation and separation properties for ions and for neutral molecular species, and (iv) to pore retention during pyrolysis. Further modification by cross-linking, introduction of charged functional groups, and hybrid material formation has been reported for applications in batteries, capacitors, fuel cells, and flow energy storage systems. This mini-review highlights recent applications suggested for PIMs in electrochemical energy systems.

It has been demonstrated that vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGFB) plays a vital role in regulating vascular biological function. However, the role of VEGFB in regulating skeletal muscle cell proliferation and differentiation remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of VEGFB on C2C12 myoblast proliferation and differentiation and to explore the underlying mechanism. For proliferation, VEGFB significantly promoted the proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts with the upregulating expression of cyclin D1 and PCNA. Meanwhile, VEGFB enhanced vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1) expression and activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in a VEGFR1-dependent manner. In addition, the knockdown of VEGFR1 and inhibition of PI3K/Akt totally abolished the promotion of C2C12 proliferation induced by VEGFB, suggesting that VEGFB promoted C2C12 myoblast proliferation through the VEGFR1-PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Regarding differentiation, VEGFB significantly stimulated the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts via VEGFR, with elevated expressions of MyoG and MyHC. Furthermore, the knockdown of VEGFR1 rather than NRP1 eliminated the VEGFB-stimulated C2C12 differentiation. Moreover, VEGFB activated the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in a VEGFR1-dependent manner. However, the inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR blocked the promotion of C2C12 myoblasts differentiation induced by VEGFB, indicating the involvement of the PI3K/Akt pathway. To conclude, these findings showed that VEGFB promoted C2C12 myoblast proliferation and differentiation via the VEGFR1-PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, providing new insights into the regulation of skeletal muscle development.

In order to improve the geo-location accuracy of the airborne optoelectronic platform and eliminate the influence of assembly systematic error on the accuracy, a systematic geo-location error correction method is proposed. First, based on the kinematic characteristics of the airborne optoelectronic platform, the geo-location model was established. Then, the error items that affect the geo-location accuracy were analyzed. The installation error between the platform and the POS was considered, and the installation error of platform’s pitch and azimuth was introduced. After ignoring higher-order infinitesimals, the least square form of systematic error is obtained. Therefore, the systematic error can be obtained through a series of measurements. Both Monte Carlo simulation analysis and in-flight experiment results show that this method can effectively obtain the systematic error. Through correction, the root-mean-square value of the geo-location error have reduced from 45.65 m to 12.62 m, and the mean error from 16.60 m to 1.24 m. This method can be widely used in systematic error correction of relevant photoelectric equipment.

In present work, the catalytic performance of Cu-SAPO-34 catalysts with or without propylene during the NH3-SCR process was conducted, and it was found that the de-NOx activity decreased during low temperature ranges (350 °C) in the presence of propylene. The XRD, BET, TG, NH3-TPD, NOx-TPD, in situ DRIFTS and gas-switch experiments were performed to explore the propylene effect on the structure and performance of Cu-SAPO-34 catalysts. The bulk characterization and TG results revealed that neither coke deposition nor the variation of structure and physical properties of catalysts were observed after C3H6 treatment. Generally speaking, at the low temperatures (2+ species could be occupied by propylene, which inhibited the adsorption and oxidation of NOx species, confining the SCR reaction rate and causing the deactivation of Cu-SAPO-34 catalysts. However, with the increase of reaction temperatures, the occupied Cu2+ sites would be recovered and sequentially participate into the NH3-SCR reaction. Additionally, C3H6-SCR reaction also showed the synergetic contribution to the improvement of NOx conversion at high temperature (>350 °C).

The advantage of low resistivity and inactive binders makes binder-free electrode an excellent candidate for high-performance energy devices. A simple hydrothermal method was used to fabricate M11(HPO3)8(OH)6 (M: Ni and Co) (MHP) arrays combined with activated carbon fabric (ACF) without binder. The structures of MHP can be easily tuned from bouquets to nano-sheets by the concentration of NaH2PO2. The MHP/ACF composite materials with different structures showed the typical battery-type characteristic of anodic electrodes. In a three-electrode cell configuration, the MHP nano-sheet arrays/ACF composite has a higher capacity, of 1254 F/g, at a scan rate of 10 mA/cm2 and shows better cycling stability: 84.3% remaining specific capacity after 1000 cycles of charge-discharge measurement. The composite is highly flexible, with almost the same electrochemical performance under stretching mode. The MHP/ACF composite@ACF hybrid supercapacitor can deliver the highest energy density, of 34.1 Wh·kg−1, and a power density of 722 W·kg−1 at 1 A·g−1. As indicated by the results, MHP/ACF composite materials are excellent binder-free electrodes, candidates for flexible high-performance hybrid super-capacitor devices.

In this paper, we propose a novel single image enhancement technique for defogging by using dark channel prior. The traditional dark channel prior methods for defogging have problems of high time complexity, edge effect, and failure of dark channel prior. To overcome the problems of high time complexity and edge effect, firstly, a four-point weighting algorithm is proposed to estimate the atmospheric light value accurately, and the dark channel prior is used to estimate the rough transmittance. Then, the gray-scale image of the input image is used to refine the transmittance. After that, an atmospheric scattering model is designed to restore the fog-free image. To solve the problem that the dark channel prior can not process the high brightness area, a combination of edge detection and maximum inter-class variance is used to segment the sky area and non-sky area. Finally, the improved defogging method is used for processing the non-sky area, and the enhancement algorithm via sequential decomposition is used for handling the sky area. Extensive experiments show that the improved algorithm can not only reduce the time complexity, but also effectively improve the edge effect. At the same time, it can also solve the problem of failure of dark channel prior.

To study the mechanical properties of Y-shaped polypropylene fiber-reinforced subgrade fill, the strength characteristics of fiber-reinforced soil with different fiber contents, fiber lengths, and confining pressures were investigated through triaxial compression tests. The test results showed that fiber reinforcement significantly improved the strength and cohesion of the subgrade fill but had a limited impact on the internal friction angle. The fiber-reinforced soil specimens exhibited a failure pattern of bulging deformation, showing plastic failure characteristics. As the fiber content and length increased, the strength of the fiber-reinforced soil increased and then decreased. The optimal fiber content was 0.2%, and the optimal fiber length was between 12 and 18 mm in all test conditions. The strength of the fiber-reinforced soil increased with increasing confining pressure. An empirical model for predicting the failure strength of fiber-reinforced soil was established by analyzing the relationships between the failure strength of the fiber-reinforced soil and the fiber content, fiber length, and confining pressure. The stress-strain relationship of the fiber-reinforced soil exhibited strain-hardening characteristics and could be approximated by a hyperbolic curve. The Duncan-Chang model could be used to describe the stress-strain relationship of this fiber-reinforced soil. A calculation method to determine the model parameters (initial tangent modulus and ultimate deviator stress) was proposed.

This study aimed to improve the flavor of royal jelly residue via microencapsulation technology using Arabic gum and gelatin as wall materials. This microencapsulation technology showed a good encapsulation yield of 85.71 ± 2.84% and encapsulation efficiency of 92.34 ± 3.17%. The intact structures of the microcapsules were observed using optical and scanning electron microscopes. The results of the simulated gastrointestinal digestion proved that the microcapsules were well-tolerated in the gastric environment (a release rate of 32.95 ± 2.34%). Both electronic nose and electronic tongue evaluations showed that microencapsulation improved the sensory index of the royal jelly sieve residue. After microencapsulation, the astringency, bitterness, and irritant odors of the royal jelly residue were reduced. Simultaneously, the release rate in the intestine was 98.77 ± 1.91%, which demonstrated that microencapsulation would not prevent the human body from absorbing the royal jelly. The results from this study are expected to facilitate the development of mild flavor products made from royal jelly.

As a derivative material of graphene, graphene oxide films hold great promise in thermal management devices. Based on the theory of Fourier formula, we deduce the analytical formula of the thermal conductivity of graphene oxide films. The interlaminar thermal property of graphene oxide films is studied using molecular dynamics simulation. The effect of vacancy defect on the thermal conductance of the interface is considered. The interfacial heat transfer efficiency of graphene oxide films strengthens with the increasing ratio of the vacancy defect. Based on the theoretical model and simulation results, we put forward an optimization model of the graphene oxide film. The optimal structure has the minimum overlap length and the maximum thermal conductivity. An estimated optimal overlap length for the GO (graphene-oxide) films with degree of oxidation 10% and density of vacancy defect 2% is 0.33 μm. Our results can provide effective guidance to the rationally designed defective microstructures on engineering thermal transport processes.

Clashes between space debris and spacecraft in orbit may cause air leakages, which pose a substantial danger to the crew and the spacecraft. Lamb wave dispersion in spacecraft structures and the randomness of leak holes are the difficulties in leak location. To solve these problems, a frequency weighting matrix beamforming algorithm is proposed in this paper. The elastic Lamb waves that are caused by leakages are acquired by an ‘L’ shaped sensor array consisting of eight acoustic emission sensors. The angle of a leak can be obtained through the superposition of different time delays, and the intersection of two angles can be used to find the location of the leak. Traditional beamforming is improved by matching the wave speeds in different frequency bands and weightings according to the energy distribution. Narrowband filtering is used to delay overlay different signal speeds with different frequency bands via a dispersion curve. The weighting method is used to compensate the frequency band response of different leak holes. The detailed location algorithm process is introduced and verified by experiments. For 1.5 and 2 mm leak holes, location direction accuracies of 1.33° and 1.93° for one sensor array were obtained, respectively.

The v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog (MYB) superfamily constitutes one of the most abundant groups of transcription factors (TFs) described in plants. To date, little is known about the MYB genes in Rehmannia glutinosa. Forty unique MYB genes with full-length cDNA sequences were isolated. These 40 genes were grouped into five categories, one R1R2R3-MYB, four TRFL MYBs, four SMH MYBs, 25 R2R3-MYBs, and six MYB-related members. The MYB DNA-binding domain (DBD) sequence composition was conserved among proteins of the same subgroup. As expected, most of the closely related members in the phylogenetic tree exhibited common motifs. Additionally, the gene structure and motifs of the R. glutinosa MYB genes were analyzed. MYB gene expression was analyzed in the leaf and the tuberous root under two abiotic stress conditions. Expression profiles showed that most R. glutinosa MYB genes were expressed in the leaf and the tuberous root, suggesting that MYB genes are involved in various physiological and developmental processes in R. glutinosa. Seven MYB genes were up-regulated in response to shading in at least one tissue. Two MYB genes showed increased expression and 13 MYB genes showed decreased expression in the tuberous root under continuous cropping. This investigation is the first comprehensive study of the MYB gene family in R. glutinosa.